The Motorcycle Misadventure Recuperation
by gsxdoug
Summary: Leonard actually used Penny's Christmas gift to him from a few years ago. Of course things go wrong. Mainly L/P but all major characters involved at some point.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of TBBT.**

Penny checked her phone for a third time before shoving it back into her jacket pocket. What was keeping him? She knew Leonard had said he had an errand to run before coming back to pick her up, but even so, she didn't like to be kept waiting. Not only that, she wasn't accustomed to getting up this early on a Saturday morning. Penny much preferred to sleep in if she wasn't working. Whatever he had in mind had better be worth it!

The blonde aspiring actress was waiting outside 2311 North Los Robles Avenue dressed in jeans, her leather jacket, and leather boots that came half way up her calves. She had left her handbag in her apartment, as Leonard told her she wouldn't need it. He had been tight-lipped about what he was planning for today, but insisted on her being dressed in this particular manner.

As Penny paced impatiently on the sidewalk in front of the apartment building, she felt a vibration and pulled out her phone once again. Not recognizing the number displayed, she answered it with a tentative greeting.

"Hello? Yes, this is she, to whom am I speaking?"

She listened intently to the authoritative voice on the other end, a look of horror spreading across her face.

"What? Oh my god, no, nonononono!" she shouted frantically into the phone as she ran back into the building.

Penny raced up the stairs to her apartment to get her car keys, taking the steps two at a time. She almost ran over Sheldon coming out of his and Leonard's apartment as she reached the fourth floor landing. The theoretical physicist stared at her in befuddlement as Penny struggled desperately to get her apartment door open. As she ran back out and down the stairs he finally remembered to ask what the heck was going on.

"Leonard...accident...motorcycle...hospital!" was all he could make out as she sped down to the lobby.

"Drat!" said Sheldon to himself, knowing he would not catch up to his nearly hysterical neighbor before she was out of the apartment building's parking lot. He walked briskly into 4A to fetch his bus pants.

* * *

"Please don't be dying, or in a coma, or paralyzed, or..." Penny mumbled to herself, enumerating all the dreadful possible outcomes over and over again as she drove to the hospital.

"So help me, Leonard Hofstadter, if you leave me now, when everything's going so good, I'll never forgive you," she rasped. She didn't mean that, Penny thought to herself with shame. It was just the fear talking. It had taken her a long time to realize it, but she loved him with all her heart and couldn't bear the thought that he could be gone from her life forever. Penny knew that if Leonard were dying, she would stay by his side to his last breath. She would do her best to make him feel loved during whatever time he had left. There would be a lifetime for tears afterward.

"And what if he isn't dying?" she thought, "What if he's paralyzed?" Could she, would she have the strength to look after him for the rest of their lives? She would find it, she told herself with determination.

* * *

Sheldon paced the floor of his apartment as he spoke on the phone with Amy. He had decided to spare himself the indignation of riding the bus. Besides, he wouldn't know where to go until Penny finally got around to replying to his abundant text messages.

"Yes...no. I don't know why Penny mentioned a motorcycle; it must have been involved in the accident in some way. Okay, I'll be ready." he sighed as he pressed the button to end the call. Although he was reluctant to admit it, Leonard was his best friend and Sheldon was afraid for him. As he waited, Sheldon went about getting in touch with their small circle of friends. He was grateful Amy was coming to get him. He needed a hand to hold.

* * *

Penny sat in her car in the hospital parking lot, willing herself to go in. Her knuckles were white from the death grip she had on the steering wheel, her eyes red and puffy from crying. Multiple text message alerts from her phone finally stirred her into activity. She answered the latest one from Sheldon, composed herself, and headed into the hospital.

A/N; A little more angst than I had originally wanted, but I promise it will get lighter.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N That first chapter was intended to start things off with a bang. There is a bit of exposition in this one, to give some context to the preceding events. Sorry if it isn't as exciting as the first part. I still own nothing.**

Penny was sitting in a chair in the hospital waiting room, wringing her hands together, when Sheldon and Amy walked in. Amy immediately sat beside her bestie and wrapped a comforting arm around her best friend's shoulders. Sheldon stood by fidgeting nervously, clearly uncomfortable.

Penny turned to Amy and wiped away a few leftover tears, sniffling. "It could've been a lot worse," she said in a hoarse voice. "A broken leg and a few scrapes and bruises. Leonard was in x-ray when I got here. They'll be moving him to a room as soon as they get the cast on, then I can go and see him."

"So what happened," queried Amy. "Were you able to obtain any information?"

Penny was shaking her head. "I'm not sure, the officer I spoke to said Leonard was driving a motorbike. That can't be right, can it?"

Sheldon finally spoke up. "If I remember correctly, and as I have an eidetic memory, I always do, you yourself gave Leonard a gift certificate for motorcycle lessons that first Christmas the three of us spent together. Perhaps he was foolhardy enough to actually make use of them."

"You mean after I went out with that jerk, David Underwood..." replied Penny.

"Underhill," interjected Sheldon.

"Whatever," said Penny. "But that was a long time ago."

Sheldon still had more to say. "He seems to go out of his way to please you and usually winds up getting hurt in the process. Why, just look at the time Leonard took you to that shooting range and came back with a hole in his foot."

"Enough, Sheldon," Amy interrupted him bluntly, as she saw the look of panic growing in Penny's face.

"He only grazed his toe," Penny said defensively, but her mind started to race. Was this somehow her fault? She never asked him to do the stuff he did, but did she implicitly encourage it. For the longest time, she behaved like it was Leonard's job to please her, but she had changed, hadn't she? Penny thought she had, but maybe it wasn't as obvious to Leonard as she'd hoped.

"He knows I love him, he doesn't have to do crap like this to impress me!" Penny blurted out, surprising the nurse who had come up beside her.

"Mrs. Hofstadter?" the nurse asked. "I have some forms for you to fill out, if you don't mind."

"No, not Mrs. I'm just Dr. Hofstadter's girlfriend. We're not married yet." Yet? thought Penny, with a puzzled look on her face, as she followed the nurse to the reception desk.

* * *

By the time Leonard was able to have visitors Howard, Bernadette and Raj had arrived at the hospital. Penny insisted on having a few moments alone with Leonard before everyone else came in. Sheldon's attempt to put it to a vote got him nowhere.

Penny peaked through the door apprehensively. Leonard was in a semi-private room but no one was occupying the other bed at the moment. He was sitting up in his bed, right arm bandaged due to some cuts and scrapes, his right leg in a long cast that came above the knee. Leonard was quietly sipping a juice box that he held in his uninjured left hand. Penny rushed into the room, launching into a breathless rant.

"You jackass, you had me scared half to death. What were you thinking, getting on a motorcycle, you could have been killed. Don't you ever do that to me again!" She kept going on like that for a while, but Leonard knew the false bravado was her defense against showing what she was really feeling.

"My leg is killing me, thanks for asking."

That reminder of Leonard's first motorcycle mishap brought Penny's shields crashing down. She ran to the bed and hugged him as tightly as she could considering his condition, finding herself in tears for what seemed like the thousandth time that day.

* * *

The gang gathered together in Leonard's room. Sheldon wandered around inspecting various surfaces and grimacing at what he perceived as an alarming lack of effort on the part of the hospital cleaning staff, while Bernadette arranged the flowers that she and Howard had brought. The rest stood or sat near Leonard's bed. Penny was seated beside the bed, her two hands intertwined with Leonard's bandage free left one.

"So, honey," said Penny, "You want to tell us what happened?"

"Yeah, and when did you buy a motorbike," added Howard.

"I didn't," replied Leonard, "It belongs to a student, he just let me borrow it for the date I had planned. Oh crap, the poor kid will be devastated, he really depended on that bike for transportation."

"I'm sure the insurance company will get him a new one," Howard said, "but you know you could have just borrowed my scooter."

"It's not the same, Howard," replied Leonard.

As Howard started to protest, Penny interrupted him, "No, sweetie, it really isn't,"

"Anyhow," Leonard said, continuing, "I was going to take Penny on a run to the coast, grab lunch and maybe go for a walk on the beach before heading back to the city for a nice romantic dinner. I even got you a nice helmet with "Hello Kitty" graphics," He said, looking at Penny. "Though that's probably lost now," Leonard sighed. "That was the plan, anyway. Some inattentive driver screwed that up when he ran a stop sign right in front of me. So here I am, laid up for two or three months. At least I was wearing a helmet, and the leather jacket and pants I'd bought saved me from some nasty road rash. Its too bad they had to cut the pants off," he said, turning to Penny once more. "You'd have liked seeing my cute little tushie in those." Penny chuckled and squeezed Leonard's hand.

* * *

At last everyone said his or her good-byes for the night, as Sheldon was getting antsy about the impending end to official visiting hours. Both Bernie and Amy gave Leonard a quick peck on the cheek followed by fist bumps from Raj and Howard. Sheldon left next to last, turning around before leaving to tell Leonard he was glad things hadn't turned out as bad as they might have.

As the others filed out, Penny hung back, looking apprehensive as she bit her lower lip.

"What's wrong Penny, besides the obvious." Leonard was watching her intently. "There's something on your mind. I know that look."

"Was this about David Underwood?" Penny asked. "After all, he took me on a ride to the coast, now you were going to do the same thing."

"It's Underhill." Penny rolled her eyes at being corrected once again. Leonard didn't notice and continued." No. Well, yes, at first. At least that's why I decided to take the lessons originally. Then I found I actually enjoyed it. Riding down the highway without a lot of metal and plastic surrounding you is such an incredible feeling, like I've never had before." He cocked his head to one side. "Except when you tell me you love me." Penny blushed at  
this. "Anyway," He went on, "I just wanted you to share it with me."

"Ok," she said, "I think I get that. But why now? It's been like, what, more than five years?"

"Well," replied Leonard, "It does take some time to get fully licensed and I did spend a summer in the Arctic. Of course, when we were dating the first time, I worked away at it. It was hard to keep it a secret, let me tell you! After the break-up I just wasn't feeling up to it. Then I was with Priya..." he trailed off.

"Oh yeah, the Black Years."

"Lord of the Rings reference, nice!"

"Thanks!"

"Well," he went on, "I just didn't feel that she'd appreciate the effort, not like you."

Penny let out a long sigh.

"Leonard, honey," she said, "I really feel I need to apologize to you." Penny held up her hand as he began to object. "I mean it," she went on. "Since we've known each other, you've done so much for me, and mostly you've gotten hurt because of it. For the longest time I acted like it was your duty to do things for me; that our relationship was all about you making me happy. But I do understand now, its about your happiness as much as mine.  
You'll see I've changed. When I get you home I'll show you just how much."

To forestall any words of contradiction from Leonard, Penny went to the bed and kissed him deeply before hurrying out the door.


	3. Chapter 3

**Contains spoilers for 7.13. I don't own a thing.**

On the day before Leonard was to be released, Penny sat by Leonard's hospital bed sipping a diet Dr. Pepper.

"I was thinking," Penny said, "About how we were going to manage getting you up to the 4th floor, seeing how all your friends are pasty, frail nerd types."

"Yeah, since I'm "the Muscle" of our little fellowship, it could prove difficult," answered Leonard.

"Anyway," continued Penny, "Please don't be mad, but I, uh, kinda asked Zach if he wouldn't mind helping out. Unless you rather he didn't," she added hastily.

"Um, no that's fine," replied Leonard. "He's really a nice guy, and I'm not too worried that you'll run off and marry him again."

"Not too worried?" Penny said archly, "But still a little bit worried? Not still feeling some jealousy are we? Zach is cute but dumb, and I need intellectual stimulation."

"Since when?"

"Since you!"

"Well," said Leonard, "At least you didn't ask Kurt."

"That son-of-a...that jerk! There's someone I'll never ask a favor of. Please never mention him again!" said Penny, hotly.

"No problem, I'm sure we'd both like to forget him," Leonard replied soothingly.

"So, since I'm not at the Cheesecake Factory anymore I should be able to pop by between errands and auditions and stuff during the day and spend the evenings making you comfortable." Penny said. "Figured out how you're going to manage work yet?"

"Oh yeah, I'm going to use Sheldon's remote presence device for classes and such and I've got a couple of really keen undergrads to look after the experimental side. A lot of my work is easily done from my laptop at home," answered Leonard.

"As long as you don't have that thing around the apartments! Shelbot was practically the same as the real thing, but I think a "Lenbot" would creep me out," Penny said.

* * *

The next day at the apartment building, Penny and Zach were helping Leonard up the four flights of stairs, each supporting him on a side. Sheldon trailed behind, rattling off trivia about Leonard's injuries and complaining about the inconvenience this was causing him, personally.

"You know, a simple fracture of the tibia can take at least six weeks to heal, at minimum, and sometimes as much as three months or more. And given your lactose intolerance, one wonders about your bone quality, considering you are unable to consume dairy products. Perhaps calcium supplements may be in order. On the positive side, since you are a non-smoker, there is a smaller chance of the healing process being lengthened. I trust you have made arrangements for my transportation to and from work, not to mention the comic and train stores, since you will be unable to drive a vehicle for the next while."

"You managed to survive while I was in the North Sea," Leonard said, "I'm sure you'll be fine now," adding under his breath, "Only difference is now I'll be stuck here to listen to the complaining."

"Believe me," Penny said with a tight smile, "I know exactly what you mean."

"Of course, now that she is unemployed, Penny should have plenty of time on her hands to take me where I need to go, even more so than when you were away last summer," said Sheldon thoughtfully.

"I'm not unemployed," Penny said over her shoulder in a raised voice. "I'm devoting myself to acting full-time. And I'm going to be here for Leonard, not you! You'll have to get Amy or one of the guys to be your lackey."

"Very well, but when you're calling a cardboard box home, don't expect me to give you spare change to purchase cheap alcohol."

"Seriously, Sheldon, shut up!" Penny yelled, her ire increasing.

"You know," Zach leaned in to whisper to Penny, "I really like hanging out with the science dudes, but that one can be a drag sometimes."

* * *

Penny made Leonard comfortable at the end of the couch away from Sheldon's spot, setting his broken leg up on the coffee table, much to Sheldon's chagrin. She then went over to the kitchen to get some bottled water.

"Thanks for helping out, Zach," Leonard said.

"No problem, anything to keep the ex happy." replied Zach.

"Please don't call me your ex," said Penny, coming back to the living area and handing Zach a bottle. She sat down beside Leonard with her legs tucked up underneath her. "As far as me, Leonard, and the states of California and Nevada are concerned, the marriage never happened."

"Right, sorry babe...um, I mean Penny," Zach replied with a dopey grin. "Anyways, gotta run. Take care of the little dude!"

"Oh, don't worry, I will." Penny replied, "And thanks again!"

Sheldon followed Zach to the door, closing it behind him. "Well, that was stimulating conversation, as always. If you and he had had offspring together, I would have wept for the future of humanity," Sheldon said to Penny.

"Can we please change the subject," Penny said, rolling her eyes.

"Certainly," replied Sheldon. "I think now would be an appropriate time to discuss amendments to the room-mate agreement, with regard to Leonard's present condition and your probable constant presence here to "mother" him.

"Ugh, not the room-mate agreement," Penny groaned, shaking her head and rubbing her temples in anticipation of an oncoming headache.


	4. Chapter 4

**I'd like to thank Tensor for his advice on the career path I'm giving Penny. I still own nothing.**

That night after eating, Leonard, Penny and Sheldon sat on the couch to watch The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, extended edition (at Penny's insistence). After the movie Sheldon retired to his bedroom, leaving Leonard and Penny snuggled up under a fuzzy pink blanket.

"This is nice," Penny said in a low voice, resting her head on Leonard's shoulder. "I really missed being this close while you were in that hospital bed."

"Mmmm," Leonard sighed contentedly, wrapping his arms around his girlfriend and placing a kiss on top of her head. They sat this way for a while until Leonard heard Penny let out a gentle snore. He looked down at her with an adoring smile and brushed a loose strand of hair from her face. Penny opened her eyes at his light touch and seeing him looking at her, gave him a sweet smile back.

"Why don't we head to the bedroom? It's been a long day and I'm sure we'd be more comfortable sleeping there," Leonard said softly.

"Sounds good, as long as the cuddling continues," Penny replied.

"I think I can agree to that," Leonard chuckled. "Now where did we put those crutches?"

"Oh wait, I'll get them," Penny said, jumping up and heading to the kitchen island where Sheldon had propped them up earlier, suddenly more alert. Bringing them over, she helped Leonard off the couch and hovered close as they made their way to Leonard's room, worried he might slip on the hardwood floor as he negotiated the one step. "Are you sure you're okay on those, sweetie?" she said in a voice usually reserved for mollifying Sheldon.

"I'll be fine, just takes a little getting used to," Leonard replied. He knew she was just looking out for him so he tried to keep any impatience out of his voice. Once they got to the bedroom, Penny insisted on helping him undress and get ready for bed, making sure he was lying down comfortably before heading to the bathroom to prepare herself. She came back in to the bedroom shortly after, her face freshly scrubbed and her hair back in a ponytail. As she changed into a loose sweatshirt and shorts, Leonard couldn't help but give her an admiring glance.

"I can't believe how lucky I am," Leonard thought to himself, "To have such a beautiful and caring person in my life." Penny gave him a quick kiss as she climbed under the covers and snuggled up into him. She lay her head on his shoulder once more and they fell asleep in each others arms.

Sheldon entered the kitchen the next morning to find Penny dancing around as she made an omelet. At least this time she had had the decency to wear earbuds so he wouldn't be subject to any of the annoying music she sometimes favored. However, he suspected this was probably so that she didn't waken Leonard prematurely, rather than any consideration for Sheldon himself.

"Oh, hey Sheldon!" Penny said a little too loudly, forgetting the earbuds.

"I see you've expanded your breakfast repertoire, although the basic principal is still the same, so it couldn't have been much of a stretch. I don't believe we have an "omelet day", however," Sheldon said with an air of disdain.

"I'm aware of that, sweetie. You'll find your _cold_ cereal over by the sink. This is for me and Leonard," Penny replied, still smiling as she flipped the cooked omelet onto a plate.

"Judging by your uncommonly good mood for this time of the morning, I'm assuming last night's coitus was satisfactory, despite the cast," Sheldon said. "Thankfully, I had the foresight to wear my noise-canceling headphones to bed so I remained blissfully unaware of any yeehaws or the like."

"Not that it's any of your business, but there was no "coitus." We just held each other all night, and it was wonderful!" Penny answered as she placed the plate with the omelet on a tray already laden with toast and coffee and proceeded to head to Leonard's room. "And nothing you can say is going to spoil my mood today!"

As she sashayed down the hall, Penny suddenly remembered something. "Oh yeah, Amy texted. Said she was going to be about five minutes late picking you up this morning. Shouldn't be a big deal, seeing as you're so flexible with your schedule and all," She said over her shoulder with an evil grin, before disappearing down the hall with a wiggle. Sheldon just stood there, a small tick starting on his face.

It was an hour or so after Sheldon left to meet Amy in the lobby, that Penny's phone began beeping and tried to vibrate it's way off the coffee table. Penny came running out from the bedroom and checked the number. It was a phone call she'd been expecting for a couple days now and she hurriedly answered it.

"Hello," pause. "Yes, speaking," pause. "Yes, absolutely I'm interested," pause. "Of course, whatever time is good for you!" another pause as Penny scrambled for a pen and paper. "Ok, yes that will be fine. Ok, I'll be there! Thanks so much!" Penny hung up and shouted, "Yeehaw!"

Leonard, who was making his way to the living room, his hair still a mess from the post-breakfast make-out session, looked at her in surprise. "I wish I could get that big of a response. Good news, I presume?"

Penny ran over to Leonard and hugged him, nearly knocking off his crutches. "Its an audition, a few days from now," she said, calming down a little. "Something I've been waiting to hear back about for a few days. It's only a commercial, but from what they said, if it goes over well it'll be expanded into a series of them. Kinda like the "Wendy's" girl or Flo from that insurance company."

"Sounds great, whose it for?" Leonard inquired.

"Well," replied Penny, "I'd rather not say 'til I see how I do. Don't want to jinx it, but I'm feeling really good about this."

"Well, okay," replied Leonard. "I'll let you have your little secret. Break a leg! Just, you know, not like me!"


	5. Chapter 5

**Can't have a TBBT fanfic without the mandatory Girl's Night/Game Night!**  
**Again, thank you Tensor for the help with Penny's career path. I still own nothing.**

A few days later, Leonard was seated in his chair, with his leg up and his laptop, appropriately, on his lap, when Penny entered 4A with a couple of grocery bags.

"Hey sweetie, how's the leg!" She asked cheerfully, as she brought the bags to the kitchen area and placed them on the counter.

"Broken," Leonard replied absentmindedly; his eyes focused intently on the computer screen.

"Oh, very funny! Are you gonna ask me how it went?"

"How what went?" Leonard asked as he slowly turned from his screen. "Oh, right sorry," he added quickly, seeing the look Penny was giving him. "The audition! Sorry, I was just a little distracted, finishing up this paper. So, how did it go?"

"Well," she replied, somewhat subdued. "I'm almost afraid to say anything, after the NCIS thing, but I think it went really well. The casting company director and the ad company were both there. They picked a few of us to meet with the company buying the ad, at some sort of cocktail party. It looks like I may have a bit of an advantage because of an earlier association with them."

"Oh, really? Is it some shoe store?" Leonard asked with a smirk.

"On a roll today, aren't you! Keep it up and your recovery time might be extended."

"Really, a couple extra weeks of pampering and being waited on hand and foot. Who would want more of that?" Leonard countered.

"I'm sure you'd hate that," Penny glared at him for a moment, then continued her story. "It's the Cheesecake Factory, believe it or not. I'm hoping when they find out I worked there, they might give me some consideration over the other girls trying for the part."

"Well," Leonard replied, "Any kind of an edge is a good thing, right? Of course it would be kind of ironic, you know, quitting the Cheesecake Factory to concentrate on acting, only to end up working for the Cheesecake Factory as an actress," he added thoughtfully.

"Yeah, I may not be a genius, like you guys, but I did get that. And here I thought I'd never have to wear that uniform again!" Penny replied with a rueful smile. "Anyway, I got the snacks you wanted for game night," she said, pointing to the bags on the kitchen counter. "I'm just gonna shower and change before the gang gets here with the food." Penny gave Leonard a quick kiss and headed towards the bedroom.

* * *

Later that evening, the gang was sitting around the coffee table, finishing up the last bits of dinner.

"Since you have been spending the majority of your free time here taking care of Leonard, I'm certain you are looking forward to one of our madcap Girl's Nights, Bestie," Amy said. "Perhaps a night out at a club where tall, handsome strangers will ply us with alcoholic beverages in hopes of "scoring", only to be left dejected and alone at the end of the evening?"

"Know what, Ames, I'm not really sure I feel up to that tonight," replied Penny. "How 'bout a couple glasses of wine and some girl-talk at my place instead?"

"Yeah," agreed Bernadette. "I've been putting in some long hours at the lab this week. I wouldn't mind just hanging out and relaxing."

"Oh, sure, now that I've been able to emerge from my cocoon like a metaphorical butterfly, the two of you are going to turn into party poopers," Amy said. "Alright, fine," she said in resignation, seeing the looks on the other women's faces.

"Ok, then lets leave the boys to their games," Penny said. She leaned over and gave Leonard a kiss on the cheek.

"Just remember honey, if you need anything I'm just across the hall," She told Leonard as she slid of the arm of his chair. Penny gathered her and Leonard's take-out boxes and plastic cutlery to throw in the garbage before leading the other girls over to her apartment.

* * *

The three women entered Penny's apartment, both Amy and Bernadette noticing that it appeared even messier than usual. It seemed Penny had been using her place as little more than a closet since Leonard had been out of the hospital.

"What'll it be, girls, red or white?" Penny asked, holding up two bottles of wine.

"Red, please," replied Amy.

"Same for me, I guess," added Bernadette.

"Can I ask you girls something? Do you think I'm smothering Leonard too much?" Penny was looking through her cupboards for wineglasses.

"Did he say anything to imply that?" asked Bernadette.

"Well, he did make a comment about being pampered earlier today, but I couldn't tell if he was just making a joke or being sarcastic," Penny answered.

"Might I be so bold as to suggest you simply ask him?" Amy offered. "The two of you share a long-standing relationship. It should be able to withstand a bit of honesty," Amy offered.

"You know what, Ames? You're right! I'll see what he thinks when I see him later tonight. If he wants me to tone it down, I will, without being offended." Penny said with conviction. "Oh balls!" she exclaimed, giving up her search. "Guess I didn't wash any dishes. Hang on, I'll just run over and get some glasses from the guys' place." She walked quickly out of the apartment.

* * *

"Hey, boys, don't let me interrupt. Just getting a couple wineglasses. Oh Leonard, that doesn't look comfortable. Let me get you a couple extra pillows," Penny said and went to Leonard's room, emerging shortly with the pillows from his bed. "Let's get you propped up a little better. Are you set up ok for snacks? How about something to drink?"

"Uh, maybe a bottle of water? Thanks," Leonard said as Penny headed to the kitchen.

"A diet soda for me!" Howard called out.

"Me, too," Raj piped up.

"You know where the fridge is!" Penny replied, handing Leonard a water bottle and heading for the door.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" asked Leonard.

"Um?"

"The glasses," Leonard finished.

"Oh yeah, right!" Penny said, going back to the kitchen.

* * *

"It's taking her a long time just to get three glasses," Amy noted.

"Yeah, its like she's still working at the Cheesecake Factory," Bernadette replied.

"She's been a little weird ever since she proposed to Leonard," Amy said.

"Yeah. Wait, what? When did that happen? How could they get engaged and nobody told me?" Bernadette said, shocked.

"No no, they're not engaged." Amy corrected her.

"And now you expect me to believe Leonard said no!" Bernadette's voice went up a few decibels. "This isn't one of yours and Sheldon's stupid gossip experiments again, is it?"

"Please use a softer voice, Bernadette. Penny doesn't know that I know and she might be back at any moment," Amy replied.

"Penny doesn't know you know what, Amy?" The subject of their conversation stood in the doorway, the stems of three wineglasses held between her fingers and an anxious expression on her face.

* * *

"Wow," Howard said to Leonard, his eyes wide. "If Bernie treated me like that I'd be the happiest nerd on the planet!"

"Yeah, dude, you really hit the jackpot with that accident," added Raj.

"She'd probably do just about anything you'd ask, and I don't just mean getting you water and pillows, if you get my drift," Howard said with a leer.

"There's the old, creepy Howard we know and love!" said Leonard sarcastically. "And it's not like that! I don't ask Penny to do all these things, but I do accept if she offers. I'm a little worried that maybe she thinks I'm taking advantage. I know I'll never pull that again after the thing with my mother's book, but what if she sees it that way?"

"Leonard, Leonard, Leonard! I would think that after all this time, and all you two have been through, that you would be able to talk through an issue like this," Sheldon put in.

"You know what, Sheldon, you're absolutely right," Leonard told him. "When she comes back later, I'll tell her that if she feels I'm taking advantage of her to tell me, so I know if I've gone too far. That has to be easier than another surprise skype session with Mother."

"Of course I'm right! Now can we get back to playing Mario Kart? It's more than enough that troublesome woman is now under foot day in and day out without discussion of her and your love life interfering with our game play," Sheldon said testily.


	6. Chapter 6

**The usual "I own nothing" disclaimer. Also, there is some mild sexual innuendo at the end of this one.**

"Penny doesn't know you know what, Amy?" Penny had just caught the tail end of Amy and Bernadette's conversation as she walked through the door to 4B. Clearly some secret had been shared, and Penny had a pretty good idea what it was.

"Now, don't be upset, Penny," Amy said as she hurried over to her best friend's side. "I'm sorry, but I accidentally let slip about your proposal to Leonard."

Penny made a beeline for the bottle of wine she had left on the kitchen counter. "And how did you know about that?" she asked. "Oh, right, Sheldon," she added, rolling her eyes.

"Well, we all know that despite his claims to the contrary, Sheldon is really bad at keeping things quiet. If you word things properly, he will spill the beans every time. And even if you don't, he'll help with that, as well," Amy said. "Besides, I believe he truly wants the two of you to be together, and happy."

"Aww, that's sweet! I guess I can't be too mad, it's not like I swore him to secrecy or anything. It was just kind of awkward, and I wanted to keep it between Leonard and me," Penny said as she poured three glasses of wine.

"Well the cat's out of the bag now, so dish!" Bernadette chimed in. "When did this happen? And Leonard said no? I'm more shocked at that than at you proposing!"

"Actually it was more like "Uuuuuuuhh," Penny replied. "It was just after they cut my scene on NCIS. I was sad, and maybe a little drunk. Don't give me that look! I was going on about being here for ten years with nothing to show for it. I was talking about my acting career, but Leonard told me I had him. And I thought, "You're right, there is something good in my life and I'm gonna grab it!" Now I'm glad he didn't say yes. I don't want to get engaged out of drunken desperation. I want us to get engaged because we're both ready for it."

"So then, you do want to get engaged to Leonard? You're really thinking about a future with him?" asked Bernadette.

Penny slowly sipped her wine, lost in thought, while her girlfriends watched her expectantly. "Yeah," she finally replied. "Yeah I do, I just needed to have some success in my life before it was right."

"I couldn't help notice you were just using past tense," Amy said. "If the commercial you were telling us about at dinner works out, are you going to ask him to marry you again?"

"Well not right away, but yeah. Then again, I wouldn't mind if he asked me again. He's proposed once, I've proposed once. If we keep taking turns, one of us is bound to say yes sooner or later. Probably sooner."

"Wait, didn't he propose last year on Valentine's Day?" asked Bernadette.

"I stopped him before he got the words out, so I don't count that." Penny answered.

"Okay, whatever," Bernadette said. "But how is Leonard going to know you want him to ask? Drop some subtle hints? Regular guys are clueless about this stuff, never mind our boys. You could probably sit in front of Leonard reading a stack of "Modern Bride" magazines and he still wouldn't figure it out!"

"I could just casually mention it to Sheldon," Amy said.

* * *

Raj and Amy left a little later with Howard and Bernadette, as Howard was the designated driver. After cleaning up, Penny quietly entered apartment 4A to find Leonard sitting on the couch with the lights off and the TV volume down, sipping tea and watching some sci-fi show. It seemed Sheldon had already headed to bed.

"Hey you," Penny said, coming over to give Leonard a kiss.

"Hey yourself," Leonard answered with a smile. "Water's hot if you want some tea or something."

"No, I'm good! Think I'll just cuddle up next to you for a while," Penny said, sitting down beside him with her legs folded up on the couch. She wrapped her arms around Leonard's waist and leaned her head on his shoulder. He draped his left arm over Penny's shoulder and pulled her in close.

They sat there holding each other for a short while as Leonard finished his tea. As much as he hated to end the intimacy, Leonard decided that now was as good a time as any to say what was on his mind. Swinging his injured leg off the coffee table Leonard sat up a little to place his cup down. Turning to Penny, who had moved to sit on the edge of the couch with both feet on the floor, he said "Penny, I need to ask..."

"Can we talk?" Penny blurted out at the exact same time.

The two of them stared at each other wide-eyed for a minute, both wondering what horrible thing the other wanted to say.

Leonard pursed his lips. "You go first," he said apprehensively.

"Leonard, do you think I'm mothering you too much with all the stuff I've been doing lately?" Penny asked, almost sobbing as she wrung her hands together.

"Considering who my mother is, I can't say I have a lot of experience in that area," Leonard chuckled. "But no, its nice to have someone care for me so much. It's not something I've experienced a lot in life. The danger is I might enjoy it too much. Which brings us to my question. I'm worried that maybe I'm taking advantage of this leg to get you to do things you don't want to do. If so, you need to tell me so that I don't push things too far."

"That's not true at all!" Penny replied. "I'm taking care of you because I want to, because I love you. You've always taken care of me, now its my turn! Besides, its what couples do."

Leonard felt his throat tighten, leaving him temporarily unable to speak. Instead, he leaned in and kissed Penny, gently at first, than more passionately as he felt her respond. When they pulled apart, Penny joined her hands together behind his neck, holding them nose to nose.

"There's something else couples do," she whispered, "That we haven't done since the accident." she nodded in the direction of Leonard's bedroom. "If you're feeling up to it," She said, emphasizing the word "up."

"I think I can manage, especially since you'll be doing most of the work," Leonard said with a grin.

"Baby, if you think it's work, we've been doing it wrong!"


	7. Chapter 7

**I still own nothing.**

Penny stuck her head in the doorway of Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler's temporary lab at Cal-Tech. "Hi Ames, how's everything going in the brain dissection biz," she said cheerfully.

"Hello, Penny, What brings you here? Is everything all right?" Amy replied.

"Couldn't be better. I just came in to pick up some papers and stuff for Leonard, so I figured I'd pop in and see if you wanted to get lunch," Penny said.

"Sounds good, give me a minute to wash up," Amy said, taking off her latex gloves and going to the sink. "Normally I'd eat with the guys but I believe I would enjoy some girl talk for a change."

The two women walked over to the university cafeteria. It was a bit earlier than Amy's usual lunch break, so none of the guys were there as of yet. Penny and Amy got a couple salads and bottled water, then picked a table off to one side.

"So," Amy said as they sat down, "Did you talk to Leonard about your concerns the other night?"

"Yeah, it's all good! He was more worried that he was taking advantage of me. No surprise there; he always seems to have my best interests at heart," Penny replied. "Even when I thought he wasn't behind me when I quit the Cheesecake Factory, he just wanted to be sure I would be okay, money-wise."

"Hmm," Amy thought for a moment. "You do realize that your fears over how he felt about your possibly mothering him overmuch demonstrates a greater concern for his well being than you have previously displayed, at least since I've known the two of you. I commend you on your personal growth during this trying time."

"Really? tThanks," Penny answered with a smile. "When Leonard got into the accident and I was so scared I might lose him, I vowed to show him I wasn't the same self-centered necro?, narcotic...?"

"Narcissist?" Amy supplied helpfully.

"Yeah, that! I just hope he sees it, too"

"I'm sure he does," Amy said, smiling back.

"So," Penny said, changing the subject, "Date night tonight? Any big plans?"

"Not really, just dinner and a movie. "I suppose you and Leonard are going to engage in some wild sexual shenanigans, what with having the apartment to yourselves the entire evening?" Amy said.

"Actually, I think I'm going to drag him out to a restaurant. He should be okay with the stairs by now, and I think he's going a little stir crazy. Honestly, he's becoming more pasty than usual. It's a good thing he's going to start coming here a few times a week starting next week," Penny said.

Amy perked up on hearing Penny's plan. "You know, it could be fun if you joined Sheldon and myself."

"Umm..."

"Oh come on, Penny, please? We've been besties for a while now and never gone on a double date. It would by a fulfillment of one of my adolescent fantasies." Amy pleaded.

"Well," Penny replied hesitantly, "Okay, just for you. But Dr. Whackadoodle better not get under my skin."

* * *

"Did I mention how wonderful you look tonight?" Leonard asked Penny as she held the restaurant door open for him to hobble through on his crutches. He was dressed in the best suit Penny could find in his closet, while she wore a relatively modest (for her) little black dress, still managing to make it look incredibly risqué.

"Only about a dozen times, but don't stop. A girl can never get tired of it." Penny said with a grin.

"You said it was a double date. Are Howard and Bernadette already here?" Leonard inquired.

"Yeah, about that." Penny trailed off as she heard a voice from one of the tables calling her name.

* * *

Amy and Sheldon were sitting at a secluded table, waiting for Leonard and Penny to join them. They had arrived fifteen minutes earlier. By mutual consent, neither woman had given their boyfriends details of the evening plans.

"I do wish you would have told me before hand we'd be having dinner with Leonard and Penny. I could have ensured that Leonard makes her be on her best behavior, however little that might mean. As well, It seems rather inefficient to come in separate vehicles when departing and arriving at the same points for the same purpose. And we already share a plethora of meals with them during any given week, so I don't see what is so special about this. That woman is already imposing herself on what seems my every waking hour; does she have to impose herself on Date Night as well?" Sheldon went on with some derision.

"For your information," Amy replied in a loud whisper, "Penny did not "impose" herself on Date night; this was my idea. It's special to me because one thing I dreamed about in my lonely high school years was going on a double date with my best friend and that dream, however belated, is now a reality. And we didn't tell you so we wouldn't have to be subjected to a speech like the one you just gave, so put a sock in it, mister!"

Sheldon looked down at the table in front of him, chastised for the moment.

"There they are, now," Amy said, looking toward the hostess' station and jumping up excitedly. "Penny, Penny, over here!" she shouted, ignoring the angry stares of the restaurant's other patrons. The object of Amy's attention clung to Leonard and tried to look inconspicuous. Sheldon stood up with Amy as the hostess showed Leonard and Penny to the table. Smiling his koala smile, Sheldon spoke.

"Welcome Leonard and Penny. This is a pleasant surprise! It's been, what, tens of minutes since we saw you last?" he said, as Amy and Penny rolled their eyes. Sheldon had definitely gotten the hang of sarcasm.

"Can we just have a pleasant meal?" Amy asked, sitting down. The other three followed suit.

After ordering their food and drinks, the evening became more relaxed. As the conversation moved from the usual discussions about friends, work, comics and what movie they would go to see into more esoteric talks of some recent scientific discoveries, Penny found her mind drifting. She was picturing herself and Leonard, alone, in a restaurant similar to the one they were in now. Leonard was no longer wearing a cast, allowing him to be down on one knee before her. "Penny, would you..."

"Yes, yes Absolutely!" Penny blurted out, suddenly shaken from her reverie by Leonard's voice.

"I appreciate your enthusiasm, but its just salt," Leonard said with a chuckle.

"Huh, what?"

"I said "Would you please pass the salt," Leonard elaborated, puzzled by Penny's confusion.

"Oh, of course," she said, sliding the shaker over to him. "Excuse me, I need to go freshen up. Coming, Amy?"

"Yes, certainly," Amy replied, getting up from her seat.

"That was weird," Leonard commented to Sheldon once the girls were out of earshot.

"Yes," replied Sheldon. "I have noticed some recent changes to Penny's behavior. For one thing, she has seemed a lot more irritable to me as of late. According to my chart of Penny's menstrual cycle, it isn't her, quote unquote, time of the month. Perhaps a hormonal imbalance? Is Penny by any chance pregnant?"

"She's not pregnant, and I thought I told you to get rid of that chart." Leonard said distractedly, as he now considered, in light of his girlfriend's odd outburst, certain websites that had been showing up in his browser history lately.

* * *

"The usual reason for the traditional trip to the powder room is to discuss some negative aspect of the date. Is everything okay?

"Everything's fine Ames, I just needed to clear my head. The night's actually going better than I expected. Sheldon is being very well behaved." Penny said.

"You seem surprised. I know that I am no where near your level in feminine wiles, but I have been finding Sheldon more tractable of late." Amy replied.

"Tractable. Yeah." Penny said thoughtfully. "Listen Amy, Sheldon and me have been in... close proximity?" Amy nodded so she continued. "A lot more than usual, these past couple weeks and..."

"Your not experiencing romantic inclinations toward Sheldon are you?" Amy asked, shocked.

"What? No. That's got to be the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard! How could anyone in their right mind even think that was possible," Penny said incredulously. "What I was going to say is that Sheldon has really been getting on my nerves lately. I'm trying to be civil for Leonard's sake but I don't know how much more I can take. I want to keep taking care of Leonard but how can I do that without having to put up with Sheldon all the time?"

"Well, what you lack in the way of formal education, you make up for in native cunning. I'm sure if you put your mind to it, a solution may occur to..." Amy stopped talking as she saw Penny's face take on an unnerving expression.

"Penny?"

"Hmmmm?"

"Please don't kill my boyfriend in his sleep."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N; I'm probably going to move this along a little faster, now that I've got my major plot points set up. I didn't anticipate the story going on as long as it has; things just kept occurring to me that I wanted to include. I still own nothing. Oh, and Penny drops a bomb!**

Leonard was leaning on his crutches by the kitchen counter, pouring hot water for tea when Sheldon came in from doing his laundry. "What is the meaning of this," Sheldon demanded, as he gingerly held up a number of bra and panty sets with a pair of tongs.

"That you've started wearing lingerie because you like the feel of women's unmentionables against your skin?" Leonard asked with a smirk.

"I am not amused by your sarcasm, Leonard," replied Sheldon. "Clearly, your girlfriend expected me to do _her_ laundry. She even left specific handling instructions. I'm barely comfortable washing my own undergarments; what makes her think I would care to do hers?"

"Relax, Sheldon, she probably just got busy and thought it would be convenient since you stick so rigidly to your schedule."

"How could Penny be busy? Her only activity at the moment is waiting on you hand and foot. And why is she not here so that I may scold her in person?" Sheldon said, carefully depositing Penny's underwear in Leonard's chair.

"I resent your implication that I'm treating her as my personal servant. We've already discussed this, and I'm not about to go there again. And tonight she's at that cocktail party for the Cheesecake Factory commercial she auditioned for. Afterward she's meeting Amy and Bernadette for a couple drinks, so you can save it," Leonard replied.

"But this is only the tip of the iceberg," Sheldon continued his rant. "Just this morning I discovered the cereal boxes were no longer in order of fiber content. If I had been less alert, I might now be too busy making use of the washroom facilities to be having this argument with you."

"My bad luck, I guess."

"If I didn't know any better, I would think you are taking her side in this!"

"Of course I'm taking her side, she isn't bat-crap crazy!" Leonard said.

"I'm not..."

"Yeah, I know, your mother had you tested," Leonard replied with a sigh. "She should have gotten a second opinion!"

"Mark my words Dr. Hofstadter, if this flaunting of the apartment rules continues, there will be consequences. I may be forced to impose sanctions!" at that Sheldon stormed off to his room.

"Yeah," Leonard called out to his retreating back, "I think I might have something to say about any sanctions."

* * *

Later that night, Leonard lay on the couch, half dozing as he waited for Penny to return. He sat up a little on Sheldon's end of the couch when he heard keys jangling as Penny fumbled with the door lock. When she managed to get the door open Leonard could see her evening dress clad figure swaying slightly, silhouetted by the light from the hallway. "Hey you!" he said softly.

"Hi sweetie!" she called back a little too loudly, then put her finger to her lips. "Shh, don't want to wake whackadoodle," she said with a giggle. She dropped her handbag and stumbled her way to the sofa, almost bumping in to the coffee table on the way. She sat on the edge of the couch beside Leonard and leaned in to give him a sloppy kiss. Leonard cocked his head to one side, an amused grin on his face.

"You seem happy," he whispered to her. "I take it things went well?"

"Yup," she answered. "They even asked me to stay after the other girls left, to ask me about my time at the

Cheesecake Factory. So that's good, right?"

"I should think so," Leonard replied. "I..." he was interrupted by another kiss. "You're so sexy when you're happy!" he said when she let off.

Penny kicked off her shoes, and crawled under the blanket he was using. "Less talk, more smooching!" she said, crashing her lips into his once more, The smooching naturally leading to other things. Afterwards they fell into a deep contented sleep, wrapped in each others arms.

* * *

"Oh my!" Sheldon said upon finding the two lovers the next morning. Leonard and Penny awoke at the sound of his voice. This was followed by a frantic search for discarded clothing. Penny wrapped herself in Leonard's robe and grabbed her dress and underwear from the back of the couch where they had been thrown. Leonard luckily was still wearing his pajama bottoms and just pulled the blanket around his torso as he sat up.

Sheldon surveyed the devastation. "Please don't tell me that the two of you were engaging in coitus in my spot!" he said with a horrified expression on his face. "That is so unsanitary."

"Oh relax, Moon-pie," Penny replied before Leonard could speak. "It's not like this is the first time we've 'engaged in coitus,'" here she did the air quote thing, "in your spot."

If anything, Sheldon's expression became more horrified as his eyes widened and his jaw dropped. He spun on his heel and headed to the kitchen to retrieve his breakfast.

"But this _ is_ the first time we've had sex in Sheldon's spot," Leonard whispered to Penny.

"He doesn't need to know that," she replied. "It'll give him something new to obsess over. He likes that."

Sheldon came from the kitchen area with a bowl of cereal and some orange juice, stopping before heading for his room to declaim, "Penny, you task me! Despite what you seem to think, we are not living in one large, three bedroom, two bathroom apartment with a connecting hallway. This is not your apartment, so I would expect you to show a bit of respect. You have disarrayed my rigorous organization of cereal boxes, hung various underthings in inappropriate places throughout our bathroom, and shown a blatant disregard for the agreed upon rules concerning the proper storage and disposal of feminine hygiene products. Now the two of you have violated the sanctity of my spot, My 0,0,0,0, and ruined my customary t.v. viewing while having Sunday morning breakfast. If this goes on there will be reprisals, up to and including banishment!" With that, Sheldon headed to his room in a huff.

"You are not banishing my girlfriend!" Leonard called, standing up awkwardly with his broken leg. Once more, he was talking to Sheldon's back.

Penny pulled Leonard back down beside her on the couch. "Leonard, I've been thinking. This might me easier if you moved in to my place, you know, just 'til you get that cast off."

"Are you sure about this?" Leonard asked her.

"We've been practically living together since the accident, so what could it hurt? Besides, it's only temporary," she said, meanwhile thinking to herself, "If it doesn't work, things can go back to normal in a few weeks without me breaking his heart. And if things go good? Then what?"


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N; I figure some readers might have found my portrayal of Sheldon in the last chapter a little over-the-top. Here I present a more sympathetic version, not to mention some "Shelnard" feels. Insert the usual lack of ownership disclaimer here.**

"Thanks for helping me," Penny said to Amy and Bernadette. "I've really let things get out of hand, here." The three women were in the process of cleaning up Penny's apartment.

"I can't believe Leonard's moving in," Bernadette was saying. "It's about time!"

"He's not moving in, he's just staying over for a while so I can help him out while his leg heals, and so I don't need to castrate Sheldon," Penny replied.

"Based on our conversation in the restroom during the double date, and subsequent conversations with Sheldon, I'm of the opinion that you may have engineered this turn of events," Amy told Penny.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Penny replied, averting her eyes.

"I am referring to the laundry incident, as well as the misplaced cereal boxes, not to mention the unmentionables hanging in the bathroom and the feminine hygiene product disposal issue. Then there was the coitus on the living room sofa. Need I go on?" Amy said.

"Dammit," Bernadette said from the kitchen where she was placing dishes in the cupboard, "How come I keep missing all the juicy stuff?"

"Okay, I admit to doing some of that stuff on purpose," Penny hesitated at the disbelieving look Amy gave her.

"Okay, most of it! But having sex in Sheldon's spot was totally unplanned, I was happy and drunk and horny; one thing led to another. If the sex wasn't so hot, we might not have fallen asleep so fast afterwards and Sheldon would never have known."

"Anyway," Bernadette interjected, "Maybe you could treat his stay over as a trial run for the two of you living together full-time."

"Bernadette has a point," added Amy. "After all, if you really think you'll get engaged at some point than moving in together is an inevitable outcome of that transaction."

"You make it sound so romantic," Bernadette said sarcastically.

"I'm sure the thought never crossed my mind," Penny replied airily as she headed out of the apartment with a basket of dirty laundry, thereby ending the conversation.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Sheldon and Leonard's apartment, the two roommates were enjoying a game of 3D chess.

"Leonard, you know I'm not good with change," Sheldon said after he made his move.

"It's only for a few weeks until I get this cast off," Leonard replied as he contemplated his next move. "It'll keep you and Penny off each others' throats. And anyway this is nothing like my going on the North Sea expedition. I'll be right across the hall. We can still do video game nights, and play Dungeons and Dragons or Warlord's of Ka'a just like we do now."

"I am well aware of all that, Leonard. I was thinking longer term."

"What do you mean?" Leonard asked, looking perplexed. All thoughts of the game they were playing fled his mind.

Sheldon considered his words for a moment. "As you know, When we first met Penny, and you remarked on the two of you having babies who would be both smart and beautiful, I was beyond skeptical." Leonard nodded and Sheldon continued. "Since then, I have been privy to all the ups and downs of your relationship. The joys and the sorrows, the break-up and reunion, the..."

"Okay, I get it!" Leonard interrupted impatiently. "Are you planning on making a point while Penny and I are still young enough to have those smart and beautiful babies?"

"Alright," Sheldon said, slightly miffed by the interruption. "As I see it, this supposedly temporary arrangement is a prelude to you moving in with Penny on a permanent basis. As the two of you build your life together there will be a reduced tolerance for the presence of the proverbial third wheel, i.e., me. You are my best friend, Leonard, and I am fearful of our inevitably drifting apart."

Leonard looked at Sheldon as if for the first time. "I'm touched, Sheldon, that you feel that way. You are closer to me than any of my real family, and I would miss you too. But let me tell you; you have Amy now. Penny and I agree that whatever you two have is, well, frankly weird, but good; and I think it'll last. Amy says it a lot, and I'm not convinced she believes it completely, but she really is Penny's best friend. You're my best friend too. So as long as you and Amy are together and Penny and I are, I don't believe there will be much drifting."

"Thank you Leonard, I do find that somewhat reassuring," Sheldon said, then added, "If you are expecting us to share a hug at this point, I will tolerate it in deference to our friendship."

"You know what," replied Leonard, "I'm good!"

* * *

A few days later, Leonard was sitting on Penny's couch with his leg up, working on his laptop. Penny herself had just come in from doing whatever it was that aspiring actresses do, and was making a small lunch for the two of them when her cell phone started ringing. Penny picked it up, her eyes going wide.

"It's them, It's the casting company," she said to Leonard excitedly.

"Well don't you think you should answer it?" he asked.

"What, yeah, right!" Penny fanned herself with her hand and took a couple deep breathes before pressing the button to accept the call. "Hello... Yes, this is she..." the conversation went on for a few minutes. "Okay yes, I'll be there!" She ended the call and let out an ear-piercing shriek of joy.

"I guess I don't need to ask if you got the part," Leonard said, holding his hands to his ears.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N; Gotta keep the plot moving along. Still own nothing.**

It was the following Monday afternoon. Penny entered Apartment 4B to find Leonard seated on her couch with his broken leg up on the coffee table, along with a dozen roses a bottle of champagne in a bucket of ice.

"What's all this?" Penny asked him.

"Just a little something to celebrate your taping, and to thank you for taking such good care of me," Leonard replied, patting the couch beside him. "Now come over and have a seat. I'll give you a foot rub while we wait for the pizza to get here."

"Wow a fancy dinner, too. You sure know how to treat a lady!" Penny said, kicking off her shoes and dropping her purse on the table.

"Least I could do," Leonard said with a smile as Penny plopped down and put her feet in his lap. "So, how'd it go?"

"Pretty good, not the first commercial I've done, so I kinda knew what to expect." Penny answered. "They'll show it to the Cheesecake Factory people and call me if they need to re-shoot anything."

"Cool," Leonard said as he massaged Penny's feet. "Any idea when we'll get to see it air?"

"I sure they'll let me know that, too," she replied. Just then her phone began ringing. With a groan Penny swung her legs off the couch and rooted around in her purse. Her face lit up when she saw who was calling.

"Hi, Dad," Penny said cheerfully. "Yeah it was today...Sure, I'll call when I know...No, they won't cut my part out this time, I'm in the whole thing!...Ok, Daddy, love you too, Bye!"

As she was talking to her father, Leonard had put his leg down and sat awkwardly on the edge of the couch to pour two glasses of the champagne. "So," he said when Penny had hung up, "Another family gathering in the works?"

"Yeah," Penny replied, taking the glass Leonard proffered her. "Only I don't think my brother will be there, not after the last time." She took a sip of the champagne and covered her mouth as she gave a cute little hiccup.

"I take it you're free tomorrow?" Penny nodded and Leonard continued, "I don't want to sound like Sheldon, but I need you to give me a lift to get my leg checked, if you don't mind?"

"Of course I don't mind! And to sound like Sheldon you wouldn't ask, just make it seem like it was an obligation,"

Penny replied. "There isn't a problem, I hope."

"No, just a routine progress update."

"Okay, good!" Penny said.

There was a knock on the door and both of them paused, waiting to hear their names. When Sheldon's voice didn't follow, they knew the pizza had arrived.

* * *

Penny stood up from her seat in the waiting room as Leonard made his way to her. "How's it looking, sweetie?" she asked him when he got to her.

"Everything is healing up just fine," Leonard replied. "In a few more weeks, I'll be rid of this cast. There's an itch that's been driving me nuts!"

"Speaking of driving nuts, looks like we're picking up Sheldon on the way home. Amy texted me that she has to work late, and everyone Else's phone seems to be out-of-order for some reason."

"That's fine," Leonard said. "I haven't seen him since last week. I'm sure we have some stuff to catch up on."

"Yeah, I miss the big fruitcake, too," Penny replied. "And I guess we've been a little lax in our parental obligations lately," she added with a hint of sarcasm.

As they were talking, Leonard and Penny had made their way out to her car. Penny helped Leonard get in the passenger side and then got in the driver's seat. They headed off to the university to pick up Sheldon, making small talk as they drove.

* * *

Leonard and Penny arrived at Cal Tech to find Sheldon waiting outside. As he clamored into the back seat, Sheldon politely thanked them for coming to get him.

"Leonard, how was your doctor's appointment? I trust your recovery is progressing as it should be?" Sheldon said.

"My leg is improving, thanks for asking," Leonard replied.

"And Penny," Sheldon continued, "I understand that you taped your commercial yesterday. Please inform me when I might be able to view it. I am looking forward to seeing you act again."

"Why, thank you, Sheldon," Penny gushed as she put the car in gear and pulled out on to the road.

"I don't mean to sound cynical," Leonard said, "But to what do we owe this unaccustomed interest in our personal lives?"

"Amy reminded me that it is a non-optional social convention to inquire after the well-being of friends..." Sheldon trailed off.

"And?" Leonard inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"And I was hoping the two of you would join me for take-out this evening."

"Aww, is Moonpie feeling lonely?" Penny teased.

"Don't call me that, and yes, even Homo novus requires social interaction on occasion."

Penny watched Sheldon fidget in her rear view mirror. "Was there something else?" she asked him.

"Since you ask, we need to stop at Pottery Barn for a new desk lamp," Sheldon replied. "And I am out of oatmeal, as well."

"I figured there was more to it," Penny said under her breath, putting on her signal light to change course.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N; Another small chapter in which I own nothing.**

Later that week Penny was headed to her car to run some errands, having just eaten lunch with Leonard, when her phone rang. After speaking for a few minutes with the person on the other end, she spun in her tracks and bolted back up the four flights of stairs to her apartment.

"Hey honey, forget something?" Leonard asked her as Penny rushed through the door to 4B. He was balancing on his crutches while attempting to clean up their plates from lunch.

"Nope," Penny replied, panting a little from the exertion "But I just got a call from the agency to tell me when the commercial will first air."

"Unless it's like, two minutes from now, you really didn't have to run back up here. It could have waited 'til dinner. If you'd have fallen and broken your leg too, we'd really be in a fix," Leonard said to her.

"There's more," Penny said with a touch of excitement. "I guess their test audience's reaction was good, so they've decided to shoot a second commercial they had planned. And they could ask me to do more for, like, special promotions and stuff!"

"That's great," Leonard enthused.

"I know it's nowhere near my dream of becoming a big Hollywood star," Penny said, "But it's work doing something I enjoy, and that's pretty cool."

* * *

"Another break's coming!" Penny said excitedly from her seat on the couch beside Leonard. "Maybe this time!" The gang crowded around until the show came back on. A half-hour in and they still hadn't seen Penny's commercial. Leonard put his arm around her shoulder for a comforting hug when he saw her disappointment.

"Don't worry, they said it would air during this program. There's still plenty of time left, Leonard told her reassuringly.

"I know, I'm just tired of waiting," she replied.

From his spot on the couch (which had been thoroughly sanitized since "The Incident") Sheldon commented; "Why couldn't they run it on the sci-fi channel, maybe during a Dr. Who marathon? We shouldn't be forced to sit through a ridiculous amateur singing competition, featuring unknown performers of questionable talent."

"I'm sure it has to do with demographics," Amy said from where she sat in Leonard's chair. "Overzealous science fiction fanatics are not likely to be typical of their clientele."

"But we eat there!" Sheldon said, as if that gave more credence to his point of view.

"But we only started eating there because Leonard thought he had a shot with Penny," Howard pointed out.

"Turns out I was right," Leonard said smugly and gave Penny a quick kiss.

"And if Leonard hadn't been so persistent, you'd still be a creepy nerd living with his mother." Bernadette added.

"Yeah," said Raj. "Now he's a creepy nerd who lives with his wife." Bernadette stared daggers at him.

"Shh, shh. This is it!" Penny interrupted, squeezing Leonard's arm almost painfully and waving her index finger at the television.

The seven friends watched Penny onscreen. For a change she looked proud to be wearing her Cheesecake Factory uniform. She smiled invitingly as she described the restaurant's signature desserts, using many and various synonyms for delicious.

"That was very nice." Leonard said as it ended, "I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks sweetie," Penny said, holding his head in her hands and pulling him in close for another kiss.

"Yes," Sheldon added, "Not nearly as annoying as that insurance woman! I still marvel at how well you can remember lines, when you were so abysmal at getting our orders correct."

"Ignore him, Penny, you were great," Bernadette put in. The rest of the group offered various compliments, Penny thanking each one in turn, before turning back to Leonard.

"The girls and me are going back to our place for celebratory ice-cream, so you boys can play whatever game you usually play tonight." She said before getting up and leaving 4A with Amy and Bernadette in tow.

"What did she mean by that?" Leonard asked his friends once the girls had left.

* * *

As Penny was portioning ice-cream into three bowls Amy decided it was a good time to pose a question to her.

"Have you made any progress on, well, you know," she asked, pointing at the third finger of her left hand.

Penny stared at her in puzzlement for a moment before catching on. "Oh, that. You can say it, he's not here."

"Well, have you?" Amy persisted. Bernadette was nodding in agreement, also wanting an answer.

"I'm not sure," Penny replied, "But I only plan on waiting so long before I ask him. Maybe I should bring it up a notch. I was thinking of maybe slipping one or two bridal mags in with his new comics when I pick them up from Stuart."

"I thought you were going for subtle?"

"Hey, that's gotta be way more subtle than you telling Sheldon and having him blurt it out at the most inappropriate and embarrassing moment possible," Penny replied archly.

"Touché," said Amy.


End file.
